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What air devices are you planning on using, or...what compressed air applications and equipment do you have in the workshop or plant right now?
You'll need to know this information to help determine the size of a new compressor, should one be required.
Some suggestions for typical in-plant usage of compressed air are listed below. Have a look at them, and make a note of the applications listed that you plan on using now, and those that you think you might have a use for in the future.
Please don’t be constrained just by the applications shown below. Add all your own air consumption ideas too, any other compressed air applications you can think of.
You don't want to miss any potential compressed air uses in your plant or DIY workshop, to ensure that you purchase enough compressor capacity in CFM at the needed air pressure for all of those applications.
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Assuming an adequate duty cycle a 10 HP compressor should be able to continuously provide about 40 CFM of compressed air at 90 PSI.
All of your air tools will have a consumption figure, and it will say that this tool needs “so much” compressed air in CFM (some will use SCFM) at “so many” PSI (pounds per square inch of pressure) for the tool to work properly.
With the list below to help, you'll soon start getting a good sense of what size compressor you're going to need when you go looking to purchase your own air compressor.
If using any of the air driven tools or equipment listed above, how many of each?
Assume the worst case in terms of use, as you need to have an air 'safety margin' when buying a compressor.
Take your time and try to think about all of the possible applications in your plant processes that could use air, and factor them into your compressor sizing formula. It's important.
Make your list, using these ideas above and your own and as you review the list of air-consuming devices, you can get some idea of their expected compressed air use back on the 'sizing your compressor' page.
Click on this link if you wish to go back to the chart right now, or wait and hit your 'back' button once you've reviewed this entire page. The chart will give you some CFM requirements on air usage so you can "pencil" in the CFM needed for each on your list and ultimately get a CFM total to help size your compressor.
If you have acquired a large piece of equipment with many compressed air components built in, lots of air cylinders, clamps and so on, the manufacturer of that equipment should have provided you with the compressed air consumption data on the components, and perhaps even a total for the machine; so many CFM at such and such a pressure. If you can’t find it, ask them for it.
And let's not forget wasted air! Some experts suggest that you should factor in 10% of your overall air consumption as being what the "normal" plant will waste due to horseplay, and the air leaks that plague every industrial facility.
For more information on air-leaks, and some diagnostic information, have a look at this page .
It’s far better to get a compressor that’s a bit, or sometimes even a lot, oversized, than to purchase one that’s almost immediately under-sized.
Getting a too big compressor might seem like folly, but if your plant production is boosted, if the product you are making 'takes off' in the marketplace, having a large enough compressor will save you from scrambling for more capacity after the fact.
Buying the undersized compressor might save some up-front capital expense, but will likely lead to excessive maintenance costs for the compressor, and possibly for the downstream air-driven components as well, and leave you scrambling for additional compressed air capacity right from the get go.
Get a compressor that’s the right size for your needs, for now, and for as long as you expect that compressor to last.
Did you know that....
Source: www.mntap.umn.edu
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